Do we break in our componets or do our componets ?


Do we break in our componets or do our componets break us in? I recently added a new addition on to my home. During this process I broke my system down and boxed it up for about 7 weeks. I had dedicated cryoed outlets installed w/ 10 ga romex. The first 10 days or so my sound was horrible with a capital H. I was very distraught to say the least. Over the last 3 days things have changed a lot for the better or so I believe. Have I become adjusted to this sound or did my componets and cables need to break in again? Or is it the breaking in of the new dedicated lines and cryoed outlets? What gives?
128x128hughes12
Hughes12,
Although it can work both ways as mentioned above, I think in your case the new dedicated lines and cryo’d outlets were and still are in the process of breaking in (depending upon how you do it, could take 10 days to 30 days).
I also know that by having your system put away for several weeks can effect it’s sound until the system warms up it’s power supplies etc again.
Example: I own various cryo’d outlets and power cords. I have tried them with out break-in for 30 minutes (the sound was terrible). Next I installed the outlet or cryo’d cord on my refrigerator for ten days (break-in) and then put the item back into my system. Immediately it sounded good, and still improved with time.
Just my perception on things.
An interesting idea...that it is our hearing that adapts to the audio system. Certainly this is true for eyesight, where serious defects in the visual system are ignored by the brain. The best example of this is the blind spot where the optic nerve enters the retina. Everyone has it, but it doesn't bother us.
Hardly a new idea, though. We adapt to most stimuli. Our hearing changes under different conditions and throughout our lives and yet we are rarely aware of it. Just think about how protective mechanisms change hearing in response to high level sound which some people like to be subjected to.....
Uh, gee, hate to say it but Pbb shared some truth. Lak nailed in perfectly though. Break in is a real deal but usually not making huge differences. I do believe some pieces make break in an agonizing affair though my equipment hasn't done that to me. That being said, the cryo'd outlets are a real break in nightmare. The music changes daily. Getting better, then horribly worse, then better again and again. It will take about a month for things to settle in. You would need to be deaf to not hear this phenomenon.
Digital stuff really does benefit from being left on so it is warm - that could be a significant source of what you report. Also, when I bought my sony 777 sacd, it didn't sound any better than the (much cheaper) digital front end I had, but over the next 10 days (this player is notorious for lengthy break-in) it improved to the point of being considerably better. In other words, I had the benefit of a constant (the existing front end) to use as a comparison. It wasn't just psychological (at least I think it wasn't...)